A school guardian at New Smyrna Beach High School is behind bars after a campus officer caught him photographing female students, and a subsequent search of his phone led investigators somewhere they didn't expect. Denis Keeran, 50, was arrested Saturday by the New Smyrna Beach Police Department and charged with four counts of animal cruelty.
The case began on October 7, when a New Smyrna Beach police school resource officer reported seeing Keeran use his cellphone to photograph female students as they walked past him on campus, according to WFTV. Investigators said Keeran held his phone at his side near his upper thigh while taking the pictures, a detail the outlet reported came directly from the people looking into the complaint. That observation triggered a broader investigation, as reported by WPEC.
When officers examined Keeran's phone, they did not find criminal images of students — police confirmed that no such images were located on the device, per the same WFTV report. Instead, the search turned up five videos depicting adults engaging in sexual activity with horses. Those videos became the basis for the charges filed against him.
Four Animal Cruelty Counts, No Bond
Keeran was charged with four counts of animal cruelty stemming directly from his possession of the videos, police said. Florida law allows a person who commits animal cruelty or aggravated animal cruelty against more than one animal to be charged with a separate offense for each animal, according to Florida Senate statutes. He is being held without bond and was ordered to have no contact with children or animals, according to WESH.
Police also moved quickly to keep Keeran away from students while the inquiry played out. He was disarmed and prohibited from returning to the high school campus during the investigation, and the restriction remained in place through his arrest.
What School Guardians Do in Volusia County
School guardians like Keeran are district employees assigned alongside school resource officers and deputies to elementary, middle and high schools throughout Volusia County, according to the Volusia County Schools safety and security office. The district says guardians are meant to be a highly visible presence, providing security and surveillance across campuses, parking lots and grounds — but they do not carry arrest authority, a distinction separate from sworn school resource officers. Guardians undergo background checks, drug testing and psychological screening before completing more than 180 hours of specified training, the district notes.
Florida Statutes section 828.12 addresses animal cruelty, not school-guardian eligibility, per the Florida Senate.
The investigation that led to Keeran's arrest was triggered specifically by the complaint about photographing students, not by any report involving the videos themselves.
